The Greatest Musical Of All Time

onJune 28, 2013

By Rich Keitel

Project Director

Project Director Rich Keitel

Shalom! My name is Rich Keitel. This is my second summer at GUCI. I have two sons who have been attending camp here for about a decade and they are currently on staff. My children have been extolling the magic of this place for years and it is truly a privilege to witness the special atmosphere that pervades in this camp.

A quick rundown of my background. I am a full tenured professor of theatre at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. I am also a professional director and equity actor with over 100 productions to my credit. This summer, I will be directing two musicals with the oldest unit, Anaf. The campers are very excited and it is something all the younger campers aspire toward. The show that I decided to direct for first session is the – shh! It’s still a secret!

Anaf rehearsing a group song in Project. What could it be?

We are busy rehearsing “The Greatest Musical of all time” (GMOAT). We held auditions the second day of camp and I’m proud to report that 100% of the Anaf campers were cast. We have been rehearsing feverishly every day since. I am so proud of the cast; I challenged them to be off book (that is theatre lingo for completely memorizing the script) in a week and they skillfully met my expectations. The entire cast also helps put on the show by working on various crews – set, props, backdrop, costumes, and Project Ruach, which helps get the camp excited about the show. I explained to the cast that the goal of rehearsal is to make the show better and better each day. I have been teaching them the same theatre games and tools that I use with my university students to improve their acting.

Music Director Charlene Gubitz

We are privileged to be rehearsing the show in our beautiful new building – the Mircaz Tarboot. This week the Anaf campers went on their three-day camping excursion, Kesher, and now that they have returned, we are working feverishly to polish and put on the GMOAT! We are having a great time in rehearsals; everybody is contributing their ideas and pitching in to create a memorable theatrical event. And wait until you see the beautiful cast t-shirts! I look forward to seeing future Garin, Shoresh and Geza campers work on a show when they join Anaf. Thank you for loaning me your talented children, it is an extreme pleasure to work with them.

Practicing solos!

[Editor’s Note: Want to post about Project on Facebook or Twitter? Use the hashtag #GMOAT! (Hashtags are now available on the Facebook platform as well as on Twitter.)]